I’ve had the lid on this photo for quite some time, and I’m not sure why. To be honest, I guess I forgot about it. It’s easy to forget a time when you stood in the middle of a towns main street on a ladder for over an hour, apparently. Anyway, this is what downtown Hampshire, IL looks like at 1am on a warm and still summer evening. There isn’t much auto traffic (thankfully, as I’ve mentioned the ladder in the road). There also isn’t much rail traffic, despite the appearance of the IC&E 6430 West, rolling across the State Street grade crossing at 10mph. One of the neat features of downtown Hampshire is over there on the left, the old Mobil gas station complete with 1950s signage. On to the photo: Read the rest of this entry »
With all the snow being predicted for Chicago tomorrow, I figured it was time to revisit a favorite winter time shot of mine. This is looking down Canal St. during the evening rush during one of the worst snow storms I can remember recently around here, December 2008. One of the particularly bad things about that storm was its timing, hitting right during the rush hour, bringing everything to a halt. You can see this in the photo below, as cabs, snowplows and pedestrians are struggling to get home, while a Metra train glides across Canal St. unhindered by the winter weather. Read the rest of this entry »
Slipping out of Union Station, one of the last runs for the night on the Metra Southwest Service is bound for Manhattan (the one in Illinois). Heading under a multitude of overhead signals guiding its path out of town, the train picks up speed and the conductor begins to collect tickets, his unmistakable figure (complete with hat) silhouetted in the rear window of the train car. Read the rest of this entry »
High above Bellevue, IA is the overlook at the conveniently named Bellevue State Park. From this perch above the Mississippi River, you can see a long ways north, across the entire town of Bellevue, up the valley almost to Dubuque, IA, some 25 miles upriver. The view of the town is quite nice, railfans may recognize the view from up here for its famous stretch of street running trackage along the DM&E. However, I think the town is just as interesting looking, with its small town charms. The big church steeple and the town water tower stand tall over the house roofs, and especially stand out on a cold and snowy evening, just after the sun had set in the western sky. Read the rest of this entry »
Yesterdays photo was looking east down Penfield Street in Beecher, IL. Todays photo is looking west up Penfield Street from almost the exact same spot. I decided to turn my strobes on the Beecher Community Church at the top of the hill. Read the rest of this entry »
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